Observations in a Resource Room: Special Education Classroom - Essay Example

 Observations in a Resource Room Special Education Classroom Introduction In the United States, special education program has been designed exclusively for students between the age of 2 to 21 with learning difficulties or special needs. In general, children who attends special education program are those individuals who have been diagnosed to have: (1) autism; (2) deafness; (3) deaf-blindness; (4) learning developmental delay; (5) emotional disturbances; (5) mental retardation; (6) multiple disabilities; (7) orthopaedic or health impairment; (8) learning disability; (9) speech impairment; and/or (10) traumatic brain injury. (Virginia Department of Education, 2001) Right after spending a few hours at the Cyril Wengert Elementary School’s resource room for special education on English Language Learner (ELL) observing the teaching-and-learning process between the elementary – 3rd grade special education teacher and the students with special needs, the researcher will describe in details the following requirements: (1) exceptionalities of the students within the classroom setting; (2) the languages and cultures represented in the classroom setting; (3) the verbal interaction between the teacher and four students with different special needs; (4) the non-verbal interactions between the teacher and the students; (5) curricular material designed for each of the four selected students; (6) instructional style of the teacher; and (7) the type of work the researcher was permitted to perform. Prior to conclusion, the researcher will summarize the observation followed by reflecting on what the researcher had learned from this particular experience. Exceptionalities of the Students within the Classroom Setting After having granted the permission to sit-in at one of Cyril Wengert Elementary School’s special education class, the researcher conducted a short interview with the special education teacher with regards to the exceptionalities of the students she was handling. The researcher was told that special education classroom is basically composed of diverse students that are not commonly found in a traditional classroom with children who were not diagnosed with special needs. Among the common exceptionalities of students with special needs are those who have either difficulties or special talents in seeing, hearing, moving, socializing, speaking, or thinking. Staying inside the classroom while the special education teacher was teaching the class gave the researcher the opportunity to notice Student A1 with physically disabled but has an exceptionally good English language learning ability. During one of the class discussion related to the use of English grammar and the proper use of subject, noun, and predicate; the student was able to answer the teacher’s question in a highly persuasive and logical manner that the researcher never expected to come from a 3rd Grade student. The researcher also came across with a case wherein the child with learning difficulty in English language have special gift in painting and playing musical instruments. Based on a pure observation with regards to how Student B read and speak; the researcher did not expect the student to have a special talent in arts and music. The researcher realized her own misjudgment after taking a closer look at the classroom’s bulletin board with photos that highlights each of the student’s special talents. Also posted in the bulletin board, Student C has an exceptional talent in sports. The learning problem of this child is related to communication skills. For some reason, Student C is having a difficult time learning to speak fluently in English. In the case of Student D, the child has a special communication talent in English language but with visual impairment. Her exceptional communication skills enabled her to have consecutively won the school’s public speaking contest during the past 2 years. Languages and Cultures Represented in the Classroom Setting The class size population of students within the special education ELL classroom is 25 students per teacher. Basically, the language and cultural background of each group of students is diverse. Aside from having a pure white American culture, there were also minority students who have Hispanic, Mexican, Indian, Asian, and African culture or a combination of these cultures. Given that the language and cultural background of these students is broad, the special education teacher carefully uses simple English words in order to enable each student with or without difficulty in learning the English language to easily comprehend with the subject matter. Based on the researcher’s observation, the special education ELL teacher developed a classroom culture that promotes the importance of diversity. In line with this matter, the teacher was very careful not to inflict any forms of verbal and non-verbal act of discrimination on students because of their differences in language and culture. In order to keep up with the class curriculum for the day, some of the students who have been identified to have a difficulty in learning the English language were constantly guided by two of the class’ assistant teachers. Verbal Interaction between Teacher and Four Students with Different Special Needs Aiming to verbally motivate each of the four types of students with different special needs, the special education teacher used mostly intrinsic rewards in the form of simple praise. Student A – Physically Disabled with Exceptionally Good English Language Learning Ability The special education teacher verbally interacts with Student A similar to the way general teachers would speak to students from a non-special education class. Given that the case of Student A is only physical impairment, the special education teacher does not experience communication difficulty with the child since the student could easily learn the English language. Student B – Student with Learning Difficulty in English Language and Special Gift in Painting and Playing Musical Instruments Despite Student B’s special gift in painting and playing musical instruments, the special education teacher was having a more difficult time interacting with the student primarily because of language barrier. The student’s difficulty in learning the English language requires the special education teacher and assistant teachers to give extra time and effort explaining the meaning behind a particular English word. Since Student B’s knowledge on English language is limited, the special education teacher was trying to use only simple English words in class to ensure a higher degree of communication between the teacher and the students. Student C – Student with Difficulty Speaking English Fluently and Exceptional Talent in Sports Similar to Student B, Student C also requires the same communication strategy from the special education teacher. Student C’s exceptional talent in sports does not have anything to do with the student’s difficulty in speaking the English language fluently. For this reason, the special education teacher was using simple English words and simple sentences when communicating with the student. To improve Student C’s fluency with the use of English language, the special education teacher spends a little time each day trying to communicate with the child on a one-on-one basis. Student D – Student with Special Communication Talent in English Language but with Visual Impairment The special education teacher speaks with Student D similar to the way she speaks with Student A. Even though Student D has a visual impairment, her outstanding skills in communication using the English language enables her to excel in ELL subjects. Non-Verbal Interactions between the Teacher and the Students There were quite a lot of non-verbal interaction that occurs between the special education teacher and the students. Depending on the students’ performance in class, the special education teacher would normally smile back at the students who were able to positively comprehend with the subject matter. There were also cases wherein the special education teacher would roam around the class and give some students a pat on the back as a form of motivation and/or praise for a good class performance. In case a student is distracting his/her seatmate or not participating in the class discussion, the special education teacher would call on the student’s attention using a non-verbal communication method such as an ‘eye contact’ with the student followed by a simple English verbal interaction explaining for the reason behind the need to call on the students’ attention. Based on the researcher’s personal observation, the combination of verbal and non-verbal communication cues are effective in capturing the full attention of the students during the class hours. Curricular Material Designed for Each of the Four Selected Students The special education ELL class follows a single curricular material designed for all students. Normally, the curriculum includes diagnosis, assessment and instruction of reading based on the cultural and linguistic differences of each student. Due to the students’ exceptionalities varies from one another; it remains a challenge for the special education teacher to be more flexible in terms of making the curriculum applicable to all students inside the class. Instead of using commercially-produced curricular materials such as textbooks, workbooks, or teacher manuals, the special education teacher design her own curriculum materials based on the learning capacity of each student within the class. This is primarily because of the fact that most of the English language educational materials that are available in the market are mostly designed for students with average learning capabilities rather than focusing on the special needs of students with learning disabilities. With regards to the modified English learning materials, the special education teacher uses bright colors highlighter pen to highlight the important words such as instructions, key words or phrases. The special education teacher also used some real-life situational examples in order to make the discussion more interesting on the part of the students aside from the use of visual aids related to new English words or phrases the teacher introduces to the students each day. To enhance the students’ reading skills, the students were also instructed to read English phrase which was posted on the board. The researcher was also able to observe that the special education class for ELL works better with the least restrictive classroom learning environment. For instance: Following the curriculum guideline, the special education teacher would discuss a particular subject that can be very effective in teaching the English language to students with good English language learning ability or outstanding communication skills without compromising the educational needs of students with difficulties in learning the English subject. To avoid compromising Student B and C’s learning progress with the use of English language, the special education teacher either provides extra time teaching these students on a one-on-one basis or simply instructing the two English assistant teachers to explain the English subject further. The special education teacher also used a different set of assessment tools in evaluating the student’s learning performance. For students with difficulty learning the English language, the special education teacher would design an assessment tool that provides very little instructional information using the simple English words. Instructional Style of the Teacher Instead of discussing the instruction of each reading material once, the researcher noticed that the special education teacher and her two assistant teachers were constantly repeating the instructions to students with English language learning difficulties. Aside from repeating the instruction once or twice, they also try to re-phrase or provide an alternative instruction using other simple English language and/or translating the English instruction into languages that each of the students are accustomed with. This is primarily the reason why most of the special education ELL class is composed of teachers and assistant teachers with different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Basically, the amount of time the teacher and assistant teachers spent on each student varies depending on the student’s ability to comprehend with the class discussion. When supervising the student’s independent work as well as other non-instructional duties, teacher and assistant teachers would focus more on students who have been known for having difficulty in learning the English language rather than those students who are able to cope with the class discussion on their own. Type of Work the Researcher was given Permission to Perform The type of work that the researcher was permitted to perform is mostly the work of assistant teachers. Right after the special education teacher provided a specific instruction to the students, it is the task of assistant teachers to provide special attention to students with English learning difficulties such as in the case of Student B and C. Summary of the Observation Special education classroom is very unique in the sense that a particular class could have a group of students with diverse special needs in learning the English language. Aside from the students’ learning difficulties, the cultural and linguistic differences of each student also contribute to the special education teacher’s challenge in teaching the course. The researcher was able to observe the difference between a traditional teaching conducted in a non-special education and a special education classroom. Basically, special education teachers have more endurance when dealing with students with learning difficulties. Special education teachers do not only consider the learning capabilities of each student within a class but also provides effective teaching strategies without compromising the learning performance of students with special needs. When teaching a class with learning difficulty (LD) students, it is important for special education teachers and the assistant teachers to repeat the instruction or pronunciation of new English words or phrases when necessary. Even though this method can be very tedious at times, this is the only way to improve LD student’s performance in the use of English language. It is also advisable for special education teachers to modify and make the reading and educational materials simple based on the learning capability and grade level of the students who were attending the ELL special education class. Researcher’s Personal Reflection Upon visiting Cyril Wengert’s special education class on ELL, the researcher was able to have a better idea and knowledge on how special education class function to provide a good learning experience on the part of the students with learning difficulties. Not only did the researcher realize the importance of modifying the educational materials for ELL special education class. The type of Instructional strategy used by special education teacher also contributes to the learning experience of the students. The lessons the researcher have learn from the actual observation of Cyril Wengert’s special class education will serve as a useful guide as the researcher works her way towards building a good career in the field of special education. Conclusion Special education class is composed of diverse students that require different levels of educational assistance coming from the teacher and assistant teachers. Even if only one curriculum is used in 3rd Grade ELL special education class, it becomes the main responsibility of special education teacher to be creative and flexible in terms of making a single curriculum applicable to a group of diverse students with different levels of capability in learning the English language. Aside from enabling the assistant teachers to actively participate in class discussion, modifying the educational materials such as the use of highlighter to highlight important instructions and new English words or phrases will be useful in teaching the students with LD. Special education teachers should also be able to develop a separate assessment tool based on the learning capability of each student. *** End *** References: Virginia Department of Education. (2001). Retrieved June 2, 2008, from A Parent's Guide to Special Education: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/Instruction/Sped/parent_guide.pdf Read More